Bob Augustine and I spent much of Sunday in Dorchester Co., checking out the
birds.  Nice Goldeneye on the Choptank; lots of Eagles at the refuge, but
the best bird of the day was  a dark-morph Rough-legged hawk on Cedar Creek
Rd. about 3,in the afternoon. It was perched on the lone snag on the left
about half- way out the road.
This is a VERY skittzy bird; it flew off before we were even 100-yards
away.  We watched it fly for awhile and then lost it. We set up at the end
of the road. In about 30 minutes, I found the roughie again in my scope way
out.  We then watched it soar and hunt for about 20-minutes.  It was never
close but in the full sun in the scope the views were excellent. This is a
very handsome bird indeed; clearly an adult.  It eventually landed on the
snag again, but flew off as we tried to photo it on the way out.  We also
had a Short-eared owl on a stake along side Shorter's Wharf Rd. on the way
out.
-- 
Donald Sweig
Falls Church, Va.